Parts holder



NOV. l, 1966 'F vlTALE 3,282,439

PARTS HOLDER Filed Dec. lO, 1964 INVENToR.

FRA/VK l// 7"/7L E ATT RNEY United States Patent O 3,282,439 PARTS HOLDER Frank Vitale, 4212 Merrick, Dearborn Heights, Mich. Filed Dee. 1o, 1964, ser. No. 417,446 6 Claims. (Cl. 211-131) This invention relates to improvements in parts holders having a plurality `of compartments to hold quantities of assorted parts, and particularly to such holders as are rotatable about an approximately central axis to afford ready access to a desired compartment.

An object of the invention is to provide an approximately annular, recessed receptacle having radially extending walls which form approximately triangular compartments, with a concentrically disposed tubular sleeve at which said walls terminate, thus truncating said triangular compartments to avoid acute angular apices in which parts could stick, jam, and be difficult of extraction.

A further object is to suspend said receptacle from a center post, and pass said post downwardly through said sleeve to project a predetermined length beneath a bottom wall of said receptacle, and to further provide said receptacle with spaced apart legs, spaced from the center post, projecting downwardly beneath said bottom wall a predeterminedly lesser length than said post, so that said construction may rest slightly askew on the center post and two of said legs, but may be tilted to rest only upon the center post, for rotation about the longitudinal axis of said post to ali-ord access to a desired compartment.

These and various other objects are attained by the construction hereinafter described, and illustrated in the -accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE l is a plan view of my improved construction, showing a smaller additional receptacle above the described receptacle.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional View on line 2 2 of FIGURE 1, with said post and said additional receptacle in relief.

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal, sectional view on line 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of a modification of the device.

FIGURE 5 is a vertical sectional view on line 5-5 of FIGURE 4.

In the views the reference character 1 designates an approximately annular receptacle. Said receptacle has a `bottom wall 2; and an annular sidewall 3 forms the outer periphery of the receptacle. It is understood that the receptacle need not take the precise form illustrated, Abut could be dished, or otherwise recessed deeply enough to serve its purpose.

A plurality of walls 4 are disposed radially of the receptacle to mutually form approximately triangular compartments 5. vSuch walls may -be secured in any conventional manner, as by welding. A tubular sleeve 6 is concentrically secured to said bottom wall and extends upwardly therefrom. Such sleeve constitutes the inner periphery of the receptacle. The inner edges of the walls 4 are secured to said sleeve 6, and the wall of said sleeve serves to truncate the inner apex of each triangular compartment and avoid an acute angled apex in which parts could become jammed and diicult to extract due to the confined space of such an apex.

A post 7, which may, of course, be tubular, extends approximately vertically and concentrically through the sleeve 6 and the bottom wall 2. The upper end portion 8 of the sleeve 6 may be bent inwardly to rigidly engage the post 7, and suspend the walled receptacle from said post 7 -as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2. Obviously, the lower end portion of the sleeve 6 could be extended and bent inwardly to the post 7 if desired; and obviously Patented Nov. l, 1966 ice the bent in portion, in either case, may be brazed, welded, or otherwise secured t-o the post.

In FIGURES 4 and 5, the construction shown is identical with that of FIGURES 1 and 2, and the reference characters are also identical, except for the sleeve 6a and the radially extending walls 4a. In the modification, the sleeve 6a is shorter, and the walls 4a are -formed with extensions or legs 4b, which project inwardly to the post 7. In this construction the inner edges of the walls 4a are secured to the sleeve. In addition to this, or as an alternative, the inner edges of the extensions 4b are secured to the post, again, as by brazing or welding, etc.

The lower end portion 9 of the post projects a predetermined length beneath the bottom wall 2, and serves to help support the construction. A handle 10 rigidly surmounts the post 7. Further support is afforded by a plurality of legs 11 secured to the receptacle. A minimum of two legs, spaced apart, and spaced from the post, are required to support the construction. However, it is preferred to employ at least three such legs.

The legs project below the bottom wall 2 for a length predeterminedly less than the length of the lower end portion 9 of the post. The object is to make such legs sufficiently, uniformly shorter than end portion 9, so that the construction may rest slightly askew on the post 7 and any two of the legs 11. A user of the parts holder may grasp the handle and tilt the device until it is supported only upon the post. In this position it is easily rotated about the axis of the post 7 to aiford convenient access to any desired compartment 5. Further, with three legs 11, preferably equally angularly spaced about the post, the user may, after rotating the construction, simply release the handle and allow the construction to rest as dictated by gravity and the surface it sits upon.

What I claim is:

1. A parts holder comprising (a) a recessed, annular receptacle, having an outer periphery, and having,

(b) a bottom wall (c) a tubular sleeve rigidly, concentrically secured to said bottom wall, and forming an inner periphery of said receptacle,

(d) two or more walls disposed within said receptacle to form compartments therein, at least two of said walls converging radially within said receptacle to mutually form an approximately triangular compartment extending from said outer periphery to said inner periphery, each wall having at least a portion of its inner edge secured to said sleeve to truncate the inner apex of said triangular compartment,

(e) a post extending concentrically through the sleeve and the -bottom wall,

(f) a lower end portion of the post projecting downwardly vbeneath the bottom wall,

(g) means to rigidly suspend the compartmented receptacle from said post,

(h) two or more spaced apart `legs secured to the receptacle, said legs being spaced from said post, and projecting downwardly from the bottom wall, whereby said construction may rest upon said post and at least two of said spaced apart legs.

2. A parts holder as -set forth in claim 1, said means (g) being an end portion of the sleeve lbent inwardly toward said post and rigidly secured to said post.

3. A parts holder as set forth in claim 1, said means (g) being a portion of each said radially extending wall projecting inwardly of said sleeve and secured to said post.

4. A parts holder as set forth in claim 1, the lower end portion of said post, (e) projecting a predetermined length from the bottom wall (b), and said two or more legs (h) projecting downwardly from said bottom wall a length predeterminedly shorter than the lower end of said post whereby said construction may rest askew upon the `center post and at least two of said legs, and may be tilted to rest solely upon the post for desired rotation about the longitudinal axis of the post to afford access to a desired compartment.

5. A parts holder as set 4forth in claim 2, the lower end portion of said post, (e) projecting a predetermined length from the bottom wall (b), and said two or more legs (h) projecting downwardly from said bottom wall a length predeterminedly shorter than the lower end of said post whereby said construction may rest -askew upon the center post and at least two of said legs, and may be tilted to rest solely upon the post for desired rotation about the longitudinal axis of the post to aord access to a desired compartment.

6. A parts holder as set forth in claim 3, the lower end portion of said post, (e) projecting a predetermined length from the bottom wall (b), and said two or more References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,669,362 2/1954 Joy 211- 58 3,164,259 1/1965 Decaccia 211-131 FOREIGN PATENTS 869,748 6/1961 GreatBritain.

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner'. K. I. WINGERT, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A PART HOLDER COMPRISING (A) A RECESSED, ANNULAR RECEPTACLE, HAVING AN OUTER PERIPHERY, AND HAVING, (B) A BOTTOM WALL (C) A TUBULAR SLEEVE RIGIDLY, CONCENTRICALLY SECURED TO SAID BOTTOM WALL, AND FORMING AN INNER PERIPHERY OF SAID RECEPTACLE, (D) TWO OR MORE WALLS DISPOSED WITHIN SAID RECEPTACLE TO FORM COMPARTMENTS THEREIN, AT LEAST TWO OF SAID WALLS CONVERGING RADIALLY WITHIN SAID RECEPTACLE TO MUTUALLY FORM AN APPROXIMATELY TRIANGULAR COMPARTMENT EXTENDING FROM SAID OUTER PERIPHERY TO SAID INNER PERIPHERY, EACH WALL HAVING AT LEAST A PORTION OF ITS INNER EDGE SECURED TO SAID SLEEVE TO TRUNCATE THE INNER APEX OF SAID TRIANGULAR COMPARTMENT, (E) A POST EXTENDING CONCENTRICALLY THROUGH THE SLEEVE AND THE BOTTOM WALL, (F) A LOWER END PORTION OF THE POST PROJECTING DOWNWARDLY BENEATH THE BOTTOM WALL, (G) MEANS TO RIGIDLY SUSPEND THE COMPARTMENTED RECEPTACLE FROM SAID POST, (H) TWO OR MORE SPACED APART LEGS SECURED TO THE RECEPTACLE, SAID LEGS BEING SPACED FROM SAID POST, AND PROJECTING DOWNWARDLY FROM THE BOTTOM WALL, WHEREBY SAID CONSTRUCTION MAY REST UPON SAID POST AND AT LEAST TWO OF SAID SPACED APART LEGS. 